Fifteen Minutes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prologue

The Traitor

October 30^th, 1981

Black Manor

12:15 AM

Sirius Black woke up with a start. Sweat was pouring down his forehead, his hands were clammy. He'd been having a nightmare, the same nightmare he'd been having every night for the last week. It was of a robed man, pointing his wand at Lily, James, and Harry, laughing as he did so. But that wasn't what scared him, it was the look on James' face. James looked terrified, but at the same time, looked like he was trying to send Sirius a message. However Sirius never understood what James was trying to say, or rather, what he was doing. Then Lily would scream and Sirius would wake.

He stood up and looked at the clock on the wall, which read Midnight: Go Back to Sleep. He'd only been asleep for an hour, yet the nightmare had come. Usually, they happened around two o'clock. A sense of disturbance crawled up his spine.

He told himself he was being paranoid, blamed the nightmare, increased adrenaline and all that. Voldemort couldn't get the Potters now. They were under the Fidelius Charm, and a trusted friend was their Secret Keeper. James was safe.

Still, he thought, unable to shake that odd feeling, what if there was a chance that something had happened to Peter? He himself had arranged for Peter to stay at a flat in Muggle London, had helped charming the flat against intruders, and then made arrangements to check in on Peter every Friday night at eleven o'clock precisely.

Sirius shook his head, his rational mind telling him he was overreacting. Peter, James, Lily, Harry, they would all be okay. Only he was left. Well, he and Remus, but he tried not to think about that. His throat constricted and his vision began to blur.

He thought Remus to be the traitor, the one leaking information on James and his family, it just didn't seem right, in fact it seemed inconceivable. After all they'd done for Remus, keeping his secrets, becoming illegal Animagi for him...it just didn't...

Sirius shook his head again, trying to clear his thoughts. He wouldn't think about it. The real traitor would be found out. He just hoped against hope that it wasn't Remus.

He laid his head back down onto his pillow and closed his eyes, but sleep never came. Instead he lay awake on his back, horrors of the past 15 years playing over in his mind.

*****

Godric's Hollow Cemetery

3:15 pm

The heat of the sun's rays made his long black cloak nearly impossible to wear, yet he kept it on. He wasn't paying attention to the weather, only the tombstone in front of him. It simply read:

Taken before their time,

Two children lost to war.

Anne Potter 5 December 1958- 17 July 1975

Emma Potter 24 February 1961- 21 August 1976

It was where James' younger brother and sister were buried, the children's section of Godric's Hallow graveyard. Both innocents, both killed by nameless faces.

"Damned Death Eaters," Remus mumbled to himself. He remembered the days they both died; after Anne's death James had never been the same. Once Emma had gone too, James had been nearly unresponsive. The whole Potter family had been so close...maybe that's why he was here. His feet had seemed to know where they were going this morning, one right after the other they moved, Remus hadn't questioned them. They had never led him astray before.

He sat on the bench and rubbed his face in his hands. He knew James was here somewhere, but where he wasn't for certain. His friend's house was empty, though the smell of James, Lily, and baby Harry still lingered. If they were gone, they couldn't have left more than two hours before, their scent had been extremely strong around the house. In fact, even in the graveyard, he could almost feel James' presence.

"James," he asked aloud. "Where are you?"

There was nothing. He hadn't really expected an answer, nor did he know why felt the urge to voice his mental soliloquy in the quiet of the graveyard.

"I don't know why I'm here. Every time I come, I think of everything that's been lost, of everyone who's gone. Half of our year is dead. Dorcas and Rosalind's bodies were finally found last week. They...they were tortured to death, the Dark Mark branded on their foreheads. Well, not quite the Dark Mark. It's different, a snake with a cross through it. I don't know what it means... but it feels... ominous." Remus' words were stumbling over one another, he was unsure of exactly what it was he was talking about, wasn't even sure why he was speaking aloud.

"They'd been dead for nearly a year... A year we've waited for them to return, but they couldn't, because they're dead. I know Lily will be upset...she was closer to them. The Order...lost two of its best." Remus rubbed his palms against his pants. "It's not fair that the war has lasted this long really. The attacks, if only they would stop. I know you'd accuse me of pessimism, but I'm afraid that if we don't win this soon, we won't ever succeed."

He felt a shadow briefly fall across his face, and looked up to see that a cloud had passed over the sun. "That's what it kind of feels like. A shadow that's fallen over us and...and its not going to go away anytime soon. I just want this bloody thing to end, James. I just want it to end. I want them to find the person whose picking us off...I want so much and its not happening. It's not fucking happening."

Sighing, he glanced once more at the tombstone.

"I miss you James, wherever you are."

*****

Flying Over London

10:45 PM

Flying usually made Sirius feel free, the air in his face, the world below him. Tonight however, the sense of urgency that he'd woken up with had never left. His palms were sweaty and he'd forgotten his gloves, so his hands kept slipping off the handlebars. He'd accidentally put his bike in the wrong gear twice, and the pounding of his heart in his chest seemed deafening. So loud, he'd almost flown straight into an owl that was delivering a letter.

Through his thick goggles he eyed his usual landing place; an empty lot behind Peter's run down apartment, with broken pavement and more than a few broken bottles. The apartment hadn't been in the best neighborhood, but it was out of the way. No one would expect a wizard to live in such abysmal conditions.

He landed bumpily, and blamed the lack of sleep rather than his nerves. Pulling his helmet off, he haphazardly threw it on the ground. A sudden sense of alarm possessed him and he began to sprint. His breath came in gasps as he passed through the broken doorway of Peter's apartment building.

Faster Sirius, faster, a voice spoke in his head. He took a rather shaky breath and took the stairs to the third floor, two at a time. On finding Peter's door wide open, the adrenaline that was coursing through Sirius' veins was replaced by pure fear.

"Peter!" he called, entering the flat. He shouldn't have been able to enter, the voice nagged. Not that easily anyway, he should have been knocked into a wall, or backwards, or something.

"Peter?" he tried again.

He ran around the flat looking for something, Peter's body, evidence of a struggle, blood stains, anything. There was nothing. Perhaps he went out for a pint, a voiced nagged.

No, said the first voice. You know there's something wrong. Something is terribly wrong.

Then it hit him, taking his breath and completely immobilizing him; a thought that he didn't want to be thinking. Something that was completely unlikely. Peter had betrayed them all. He was the wolf in sheep's clothing. He was the one who had been picking off members of the Order, one by one. It was a matter of hours before James, Lily, and baby Harry would be dead.

Quicker than he'd come in, Sirius left the flat and made for Godric's Hollow as fast as he could fly.

It was a sight that would forever haunt his nightmares. There was no glass in any of the windows. The force of the blast had strewn it across the lawn, even embedded it in the surrounding trees. Sirius sprinted up the walk, his legs nearly failing him, and into the house. The floor was covered with paper, wall hangings, and various other items that clearly didn't belong there.

However the thing that stopped his heart was James. James lying in the midst of the rubble.

Kneeling beside his friend's body, he couldn't help but notice the determined look on his face. He didn't look afraid or scared like the others that Sirius had found dead. He gently touched his friend's neck, praying for a pulse, even though he knew it was no use. He'd known that James was dead the minute he saw him. A lump formed in Sirius' throat, tears welled into his eyes, threatening to spill over.

That was until he heard the cry. Shocked, he stood up, almost losing his balance and falling towards the floor. It was the cry of a baby, not just any baby though. It was Harry's cry, a cry that he'd become so familiar with in the past year. His godson was alive.

Relief ebbed away at some of the fear as he made his way to the nursery. Harry was lying on the floor, crying. His face was red and a jagged line was cut across his forehead. He crossed the floor and grabbed his godson from the floor, cradling the baby, he took a closer look at his forehead.

Then he pulled Harry close, stroking the back of his head. Looking around the nursery, a flash of red caught his eye. Dread crept in, turning into shock when he realized what the red belonged to. Lily was lying on the floor, looking much like James had.

Sirius closed his eyes and held the newly orphaned Harry tightly.

"It's all my fault Harry. We should have never trusted him." Tears began to flow down his cheeks as the baby cooed softly in his arms.

"I'll take care of you now, Harry, I promise."

*****

October 31^st, 1981

Godric's Hollow

4:15 AM

Peter wasn't sure why he was there. The Master had forbid him to show up tonight, yet something had dragged him to Godric's Hollow.

The house looked just like the others from other attacks. There wasn't anything special, except maybe the lack of the Dark Mark floating above the house. That was different, but maybe the Master was still working. Maybe the Master hadn't killed them all yet, dragging out their deaths. But there were no screams, none of the usual sounds that there were when the Master was at work. Peter was confused.

Cautiously he made his way towards the entrance of his friend's house.

You're not his friend, a voice hissed. You hate him. Still, Peter trudged on, though it seemed that the closer he came to the doorway, the heavier his legs became. Finally, after what seemed like hours, he arrived at the doorstep. He put a shaky hand on the doorknob.

What if the Master finds out you're here, he asked himself. But he didn't have time to think it through. There was a noise inside that made Peter jump; feet on the stairs, the pounding of one foot behind the other.

As the door flew open Peter expected the sound of a curse, but instead it was the angry voice of the person he least suspected to be there.

"You traitor." There was venom in the normally friendly voice. He looked up to see Sirius glaring at him, arms wrapped around a bundle. Harry.

"Everyone is dead. Gone. All because of you. How long, Peter? How long?"

Confused as to how Sirius survived a meeting with the Master, Peter racked his brain, stalling for time, stalling for anything.

"What are you talking about?" Peter asked, obviously lying.

"You betrayed Lily, James, and Harry, you left them to die." Sirius' words each felt like a dagger in Peter's heart. "Not to mention everyone else in the Order!"

You don't care about them, said the voice. You only care about you and the Master. The Master will protect you...don't feel anything towards them. They mean nothing.

"Your master's gone Peter, how I'm not sure, but he's gone. Vanished."

His palms began to sweat, he swallowed hard. He's lying, the voice in his head screamed. The Master is not gone, he can't be. It just doesn't work that way, the Master doesn't just go away...he...he...

The look on Sirius' face convinced him, it was triumph mixed with anger, and the utmost loathing.

"Everyone will know what you've done Peter," Sirius said softly. "They'll know that you're the traitor, you were. And you so cunningly tried to convince us all it was Remus. James knew better, he trusted all of us, and I should have trusted Remus before I trusted you. You're a filthy rat, Peter."

Peter grinned as a terrible thought filled his head.

"You're wrong, they won't." He said those words so softly he barely heard himself. "Everyone thought it was you. You in your plan, Sirius, didn't tell anyone we switched."

Sirius began to look slightly less confident. In fact, he almost looked downright frightened; the thought hadn't even dawned on him. Peter felt a wicked smile cross his face. He narrowed his eyes and looked up at his friend, hoping to scare him, hoping that Sirius could be played like a fiddle.

"Everyone planned on it being you. Dumbledore, Flitwick, everyone, and in fact it was, until the day the charm was done. You thought that you'd switch, to help protect your friends. It didn't work, they're dead and soon the Aurors will be here, searching for you. You'll be branded a murderer and shipped to Azkaban. Knowing Barty Crouch, I don't even think you'll get a trial."

They stared at each other, neither removing eye contact, until there was the whooshing sound of a Portkey. Peter Disapparated without waiting to see who had arrived.

*****

Peter's Flat, London

7:15 AM

His throat was tight, he couldn't breathe. He hadn't counted on the letter. The letter...his hand was shaking. The Master would be so disappointed at his display of emotion. The Master always said that emotions were a weakness.

Looking back down at the letter he hadn't noticed the ink smudges before...the wetness on the parchment. It was smearing his name.

Closing his eyes, the words flowed in his mind. He had unwillingly let his mind memorize the letter. They were etched in his mind, as he feared they would be until the end of his days.

Peter,

I should be angry with you, I should hate you right now, because if this letter is sent, then I'm lost. I've died, along with Harry and Lily. And you were the reason. But I can't hate you my friend. Instead I pity you. For you will deal with a lifetime of guilt, a lifetime of suffering, because you truly were our Judas, you betrayed us.

James

He opened his eyes, glancing at the Daily Prophet headline.

Shock Disappearance: Is this the End of You Know Who?

The Master was gone, he mused, terrified. What did he have left? Nothing, the voice hissed. You've betrayed your friends, you have no Master, you have nothing Peter Pettigrew...

Over and over again, that thought repeated itself. He was just nobody; he had nothing and no one. He was alone. Once again, he was Just Peter, no friends, no Master. Just the same sniveling ten year old who was picked on for being overweight and wearing glasses.

The thought became a cancer to him, plaguing him until he couldn't bear it. He had to rid himself of it, it had to go away. He screamed, he kicked things around the apartment, he even begged for forgiveness. But nothing happened, instead the cancerous thought grew until finally the solution came to his mind, the desperation ebbing slowly away.

*****

Outskirts of Carlisle

9:45 AM

With a shaky hand, Remus put down his cup of tea. His mum had made it for him, after the news had come, she'd gasped in horror, and he'd just done nothing. Just stared, feeling void inside. He hadn't wanted to believe it. Bad news followed by bad news.

It had first come with the early morning owl from Dumbledore. James and Lily dead. Harry missing. All betrayed by their friend, Sirius.

That Remus found nearly unbelievable, but, it was undeniable. Sirius had been the traitor all these years, Sirius had lead to the murders of their friends and schoolmates, and Sirius himself had handed James, Lily, and Harry over to Voldemort.

When had Sirius switched sides? There wasn't a single place in time that he could pinpoint where something in Sirius had changed.

The problem was that there wasn't. Sirius had been the same for ages, hell Sirius was an Auror and a member of the Order. What would have made him turn? And why turn on James, his best friend? And Harry, his godson? What makes a man do that? What makes a man become a monster, a killer, and a traitor?

For one of the few times in his life, Remus didn't have all the answers. He didn't have any answers. All that he knew what that Sirius was not the friend he thought he was.

He closed his eyes trying to figure out what had gone wrong?

A fluttering sound made Remus slowly open his eyes. There was a barn owl looking at him, with its head cocked to the side. Still shaking, he removed the envelope from the owl's leg, allowing it to fly back out the window .

The envelope was addressed to him in Peter's neat handwriting. Eyebrows furrowed, he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

Remus,

Please forgive me for what I've done, but I can't take living in this world. I've joined James.

Peter

He dropped the letter like it was a hot coal and fell further into the back of his chair. For the first time since he was ten, Remus Lupin was alone and friendless. He put his face in his hands as he began to weep for the loss of his friends.